Friday, October 31, 2008

United we stand.

There are cogent arguments in favor of divided party rule in Washington. The metaphors for one party running both the executive and legislative branches run from a kid in a candy store to a bull in a china shop to the dog that caught the car.

We saw it after 1992 when Bill Clinton, was elected president at a time when the Democrats appeared to have solid and sustainable majorities in both chambers of Congress. Clinton pushed so hard and so fast over his first two years in office on issues such as health care reform and gays in the military that the voters took Congress away and handed in to the Republicans in the 1994 elections.

The example, sadly is no more convincing than the cliches. Bill Clinton backed away from gay military service as fast as he could pedal, alienated the strong single-payer constituency in the Democratic Party and put many Democrats on the ropes over his betrayal of organized labor on trade issues. He blurred the partisan lines on other issues as well, to the degree that abandoning the promise of the Great Society is now counted as one of his proud achievements, the subsequent rise in the poverty rate notwithstanding. Democrats of a more progressive bent were left hanging. Sheesh, Bob, where were you in '92.

To his credit, Benenson offers balance...

And just four years ago, Republicans over-interpreted President George W. Bush’s narrow re-election victory and their retention of Senate and House majorities as a mandate for long-term GOP domination. They then saw their control of Congress crushed two years later under weight of Bush’s plunging job approval ratings and a series of tawdry corruption and ethics controversies within the poorly policed ranks of congressional Republicans.

See. I thought there was a war involved.

The point is he's determined to make is that McCain's invocation of fear of united government is hypocritical because he didn't object to a united Republican government in the past. Likewise...

With the Democrats now appealing for the election of Obama as president and for greatly expanded majorities in both the Senate and the House, it is clear that they strongly believe in divided government — unless they are the ones who get to run everything.

So each political party seems to believe that it has the best ideas for the governance of the country and would like to have a relatively unhindered path toward implementing those ideas. I'll happily concede, but note that I find the notion unremarkable.

As unremarkable, in fact, as united government in the United States. The White House and both houses of Congress were united for 69 of the first 109 Congresses. The periods of divided government, in fact, might be best viewed as transitions from the dominance of one party to another for an extended period.

The Republicans have had unified control for three of those extended periods. They produced civil war, the rise of the Robber Baron era and the onset of the Great Depression.

Democrats have had more opportunity, being senior to the Grand "Old" Party, but perhaps those partisan grey hairs explain why those opportunities, the first of which has been labeled 'The Era of Good Feeling,' have been more fruitful for the nation in matters ranging from national expansion to space exploration, from extending the franchise to victory in two World Wars, from diminishing poverty to honoring labor and creating the glory days of the middle class.

It's not surprising that we think we're right and they're wrong. What's notable is that we have proof in the form of outcomes.

After all, a united Democratic government made widows, children and elders more socially secure.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Of course, progressive taxation isn't "socialism…"

A few weeks before she was nominated for Vice-President, she told a visiting journalist--Philip Gourevitch, of this magazine--that"we're set up, unlike other states in the union, where it's collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs." (Emphasis mine.)

Count me among the former...

Only the most partisan of Democrats or cold-hearted of people would fail to have some compassion or sympathy towards a party for which virtually everything has gone wrong. Someone recently likened it to watching a wounded dog kicked.

Five years ago on Upper Left...

The Washington State Attorney General's race heats up with the entry of former Seattle City Attorney Mark Sidran. He'll take on former Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn in the primary.

This should be an interesting contest. As City Attorney, Sidran played the 'tough cop' role against polluters and put together a strong domestic violence unit, but drew heat from local liberals over his 'civility' laws, which some saw as hostile to minorities and the homeless. Senn was hard on the insurance industry and a champion of seniors. Both are strong personalities with strong views. Fans of politics as spectator sport will be crowding the sidelines for this one.

True enough…

…but I'd still like to see a pre-election expulsion vote that would put the Senate Republicans on the record about the continued service of their felonious friend.Of course, I'd like to see a 90 D Senate and about 400 of us in the House, too. The odds are, I figure, roughly the same this year.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

· From the "Slightly bowdlerized" file.

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. "Can I interest you in the chicken?" she asks. "Or would you prefer the platter of sh*t with bits of broken glass in it?"

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.

Five years ago…

With a thirty-some year track record as a Democratic Party consultant, candidate and activist, there's no way I'm going to claim to be 'fair and balanced.' Nope, Upper Left will be proudly partisan. I was born and raised in a New Deal Democratic home, and time came to choose a candidate on my own, I got Clean For Gene back in 1968. In 1972, I came home from Vietnam and went to work for George McGovern. In the intervening years, I've worked with and for dozens of Democrats running for everything from small town city councils to POTUS. Now I've got a spot to spout off what I think I've learned and what I think is right and wrong on the current political scene. I hope to offer a regional focus, too, from my vantage point in the suburbs of Seattle (close enough to town to proudly claim Jim McDermott as my personal Congresscritter). Now I just have to figure out the functional side of this thing...

Yep, it's been that long. Five years, over 280 thousand visits and, with this one, 7106 posts. Most of those are mine, but I'd be remiss without extending thanks to Carl, Darryl, Diane and Deej for stepping in at various times for various reasons. Thanks, too, to all y'all who've left any of the 6,617 comments (honorable mention to pal o' Upper Left Terry Parkhurst). And to all y'all who've ever dropped by, linked up or otherwise been a part of this ride. I'm still having fun and looking forward to the next five.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush…

Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick.

Peace and Stability report

SAMARRA - A mass grave containing 11 bodies was found in the northeast of Samarra, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, by Iraqi police with the help of local U.S.-backed security patrols. Five of the corpses were of policemen killed a year ago. Police also found a former prison belonging to Sunni militants, said police Colonel Abdul Khaliq al-Samarraie.

BAGHDAD - Iraqi Police arrested a man accused of a bomb attack on U.S.-backed neighborhood patrols in Baghdad's Doura neighborhood, and found explosives in his possession, said Qasim Moussawi, government spokesman for security in Baghdad.

TUZ KHURMATO - The body of a man was found in Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (105 miles) north of Baghdad, showing signs of torture and gunshot wounds more than a week after he was kidnapped, police said.

KIRKUK - Three policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb struck their patrol in the southern part of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL - An unidentified body was found in the south of the Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, with a bullet in the head, police said.

MUSSAYAB - Gunmen shot dead the leader of the Sunni "Awakening" movement in the town of Mussayab, 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

KIRKUK - A Kurdish security official was killed by a bomb attached to his car south of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

And now...

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Hey, Joe…

In 2009 about 35 million tax returns will report some income from small businesses, according to Roberton Williams, principal research associate at the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Of these only about 660,000 tax units — or 1.9 percent — would see an increase under Senator Obama’s tax proposal.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Kind of a drag.

Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory. The decision calls into question just what kind of thinking -- if that's the appropriate word -- would drive the White House in a McCain presidency.

The Chicago Tribune, endorsing a Democrat for the first time in the paper's 161 year history...

McCain failed in his most important executive decision...His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country.

Both papers endorsed McCain in the Republican primary contest. It's not unreasonable to assume, given their histories, that both would have welcomed the opportunity to support him in the general. Sarah Palin made it impossible.

There's some speculation out there that Governor Palin may be the face of the Republican future. As a proudly partisan Democrat, I can only hope so.

Hey Kids!

If your parents display even one of these warning signs, please talk to them about Barack Obama right away.

1. Prefacing every sentence with "Lemme give you a little straight talk."2. Arguing that it's crucially important for a President to be erratic and unstable.3. Referring to the past 8 years of American history as "The Golden Age."4. Saying things like, "Sarah Palin is a reasonable choice as VP."5. Having trouble making eye contact.6. Wandering and pacing aimlessly.7. Disparaging Spain for no apparent reason.8. Delusionally believing all people they meet are "[their] friends"—even though most people are kinda creeped out by them.9. Being unable to accurately count the number of homes they own, cars they drive, or years the United States should remain in Iraq.10. Putting a McCain-Palin yard sign in the front lawn.

And remember…

It may be awkward to discuss unpleasant issues like John McCain with your parents. But doing so shows you care.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Robbing Peter…

John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs...

He's going to tax any employer provided insurance you may be lucky enough to have while you're working, and cut your Medicare coverage when you retire. I guess the idea is to cut health care costs by shortening life spans through reduced care.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

And now...

Saturday, October 04, 2008

R.I.P.

The myth of John McCain is officially dead, slain in a Tim Dickinson piece for Rolling Stone that must be read and should be absorbed. Dickinson's on the record sources are impressive, his research is thorough and his conclusion, that...

The myth of John McCain hinges on two transformations — from pampered flyboy to selfless patriot, and from Keating crony to incorruptible reformer — that simply never happened. But there is one serious conversion that has taken root in McCain: his transformation from a cautious realist on foreign policy into a reckless cheerleader of neoconservatism.

Visual aids.

From the "Credit where it's due" file.

When she's right, she's right.

PALIN: Well, first, McClellan did not say definitively the surge principles would not work in Afghanistan.

What McClellan actually said was "All things very quiet on this bank of the Chickahominy. I would prefer more noise." McKiernan, on the other hand, said "The word I don't use for Afghanistan is 'surge'."

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Don't tell Katie…

Palin: "... Alaska isn't a foreign countrywhere it's kind of suggested, it seems like, 'Wow, how could you keep in touch with the rest of Washington DC, maybe thinking and doing when you live up there in Alaska?'"

Tell Pat…

Buchanan: "They know she's from Alaska. And I don't think they're expecting to her to really give the details of the Georgia-Ossetia conflict."

Actually, since she supports Georgia's entry into NATO and seems sanguine about the resulting prospects for yet another war, I do expect her to know something about what she's decided about. Credit where it's due - the Governor stands up for her state and the excuse most Beltway insiders would accept. I can sympathize to a degree with Buchanan's condescension, though. He's got to try, but any attempt to excuse the insult to America that Palin's nomination represents will, after all, ultimately fail on the simple ground that there is no excuse for Palin's nomination.